Japanese Shrimp Traps Wabi-Sabi Sculpture
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Directory: Popular Collectibles: Cultural: Japanese: Sculpture: Pre 2000: item # 700671
Please refer to our stock # 18-59 when inquiring.
Silk Road Gallery
PO Box 2175
Branford, Connecticut 06405, USA
set of 3
|Three bamboo cages made by fishermen in Japan to harvest shrimp are wonderful examples of the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi. Organic forms, simplicity and imperfections render these humble objects beautiful and timeless. (The Japanese cultural concept of wabi-sabi is nicely presented in the small book "Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers" by Leonard Koren, Stone Bridge Press, Berkeley, California, 1994.) These three bamboo forms together take on new life as an unusual piece of art. Although functionality is not integral to wabi-sabi, in the case of these cages form followed purpose and resulted in construction that is both humble and clever. A bamboo "gate" at one end allows entry but no exit; the other end is closed with a removable bamboo ring. When shrimp are trapped inside, the cage is pulled from the water and the ring removed to open the end and allow the shrimp to be poured out. These traps, age unknown, are in wabi-sabi condition. Dimensions of the tallest cage: height 34" (87 cm), diameter 5-1/2" (14 cm). Mid-size cage: height 30" (76 cm), diameter 7" (18 cm). Smallest cage: height 19" (48 cm), diameter 3-1/2" (9 cm). SEE MORE ITEMS IN OUR COLLECTION AT WWW.SILKROAD1.COM|